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Nausicaä
'Nausicaä '(ナウシカ''Naushika'', pronounced na.uɕika) is a fictional character from the science fiction manga andanime film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind created by Hayao Miyazaki. Nausicaä is the princess of the Valley of the Wind, a very small nation with fewer than 500 inhabitants (and steadily declining in population).1She is the eleventh child of King Jihl, and the only one to live to maturity. She is rarely seen without her Mehve or her companion, Teto the fox-squirrel. In the legends of Dorok, she is also called "The Blue Clad One". Nausicaä is voiced in Japanese by Sumi Shimamoto, who got the part after having played Clarisse in Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro and impressed Hayao Miyazaki. Patrick Drazen praised Shimamoto's acting in a scene where Nausicaä stops an insect from diving into an acidic pool by getting in its way. She is burned by the acid and she screams. Her English-language voice was performed by Alison Lohman.Nausicaä is the beloved Princess of the Valley of the Wind. She is 16 years old, but her wisdom is far beyond her young age. She has dedicated herself to help her people, including trying to find a cure for the Fukai poison that so many suffers from. She is brave, courageous, intelligent, loyal, honest, and everything that one looks for in a true heroine. She stands tall against all adversaries and is willing to sacrifice her life in order to save those around her. Nausicaä and her people moved to the Valley of the Wind when she was very young. It is uncertain when her Mother died, but it was probably after the family moved to the Valley. She loves her Father, King Jiru, very much and spends a great deal of time in the Fukais researching the plants in hopes of curing him and others like him of Fukai poison. Sadly though, her Father was killed when the Tolumekians attacked the Valley. Nausicaä is an experienced jet-powered glider pilot and has a talent dealing with animals. She shows great compassion for animals and Fukai creatures alike and is somehow able to establish a connection with them. She is also very intelligent and spends a great deal of time researching Fukai plants. When she and Asbel fell deep to the bottom of the Fukais, she discovers the secret of Fukais and it is that they are actually cleansing the Earth of all the harmful chemicals that the mankind has injected into our world. Nausicaä was badly injured trying to save her people from an attack by the Omhus. She stood before the rush of angry creatures, almost costing her her life. The Omhus, however, revived Nausicaä and she was brought back to conciousness. It is believed that Nausicaä is actually the saviour ancient legends have said will come to replenish all that has been lost and bring all mankind to a peaceful green field. Without doubt, Nausicaä has the every potential to complete this task. Development Nausicaä's name comes from the princess Nausicaa in the Odyssey who assisted Odysseus. In English, the Greek name is normally pronounced /nɔːˈsɪkeɪ.ə/, but in the soundtrack for the film it is /ˈnɔːsɨkə/. Part of her character comes from a Japanese folk heroknown as The Princess Who Loved Insects (虫めづる姫君''Mushi mezuru himegimi''?), whose story appeared in the Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari while another part was inspired by the writings ofBernard Evslin, as he had written a more in-depth extrapolation of the Odyssey's Nausicaa. The Princess Who Loved Insects was about a clever and beautiful princess who rather than beautifying herself and courting, would spend her time outdoors playing with bugs and caterpillars. Miyazaki has said that Evslin's Nausicaa reminded him of the princess who loved insects, and he wondered how the princess who loved insects lived her life after the story ended. He said that the two characters "became fused into one and created the story". He also said that Nausicaä is "governed by a kind of animism". Miyazaki said of Nausicaä that "She is not a protagonist who defeats an opponent, but a protagonist who understands, or accepts. She is someone who lives on a different dimension. That kind of person should be female, not male." Miyazaki also felt that he had to draw Nausicaä as being beautiful, and that he wanted to create a heroine who was not a "consummately normal" person. Miyazaki had considered including Nausicaä in more nude scenes, but he decided to tell a more "spiritual" story instead. Shuna from Journey of Shuna is considered to be prototypical to Nausicaä. Character outline Although a skillful fighter, Miyazaki's Nausicaä is humane and peace-loving. She has an unusual gift for communicating with the giant insects, and is noted for her empathy toward animals, humans, and other beings. An intelligent girl, Nausicaä frequently explores the toxic wasteland which surrounds the kingdoms, and conducts scientific experiments in an attempt to define the true nature and origins of the toxic world in which she lives. Her explorations are facilitated by her skill at "windriding;" flying with an advanced glider-like craft called Mehve, equipped with a jet-assist. Reception Nausicaä is described as being a "strong young female lead drawn strongly from the shoujo''tradition", who "takes charge" of her own life, with a "brave and wholesome" mind, and as "one of the best examples of a truly "empowered" female." Stig Høgset found the too-perfect portrayal of Nausicaä to be unrealistic. Early in the story, she kills the warriors that killed her father, which Susan J. Napier described as, "genuinely shocking," and Kaori Yoshida points to as evidence of Nausicaä representing "traditional masculinity rather than femininity". Nausicaä later "comes to regret her vengeance" and becomes a diplomat to prevent further wars between the different states. Although Nausicaä is a warrior, Nausicaä does "reassuringly cute" actions such as taming Teto and calling things "pretty", which contrasts her with San of ''Princess Mononoke. Thomas Zoth regards Nausicaä as "Miyazaki's archetypal heroine", and notes shades of her in Ashitaka, San and Lady Eboshi of Princess Mononoke. Opinion is divided as to whether Nausicaä is sexualised or not - Napier notes that Nausicaä's relationship with Asbel is "potentially erotic", but Kaori Yoshida says that Nausicaä's body "is not the typical kind designed to stimulate" the male gaze. The quality of tapes on early fansubs lead to the rumour that Nausicaä does not wear any pants. Yoshida presents Hiromi Murase's theory that Nausicaä represents a post-oedipal mother figure. Susan J. Napier and Patrick Drazen note a parallel between the character of Kushana, the rival warrior princess, and that of Nausicaä - Napier describes Kushana as Nausicaä's "shadow", noting that Kushana is not shown with any "alleviating, "feminine" virtues" as Nausicaä is, but that they share the same tactical brilliance. Drazen describes this as a "feminine duality". Miyazaki has described the two characters as being "two sides of the same coin", but Kushana has "deep, physical wounds". Nausicaä is presented as a messiah, and also acts on an ideology of how to interact with the natural world. Her powers are presented as proof of the ""rightness" of her mode of thought". Unlike other characters, who avoid or try to ignore the forest, Nausicaä is scientifically and beatifically interested in the forest. When the god soldier is activated, he chooses Nausicaä to be his "mother" and asks her who she wants him to kill. Marc Hairston considers this to be a recurring theme throughout the manga, that Nausicaä is given power and that she is told to make difficult decisions. In 2000, Nausicaä placed eleventh in an Animax poll of favourite anime characters. The first daughter ofJean Giraud is named after the character. The character Nakiami from Xam'd: Lost Memories has been noted to bear many similarities to Nausicaä. Category:People